The Nationless
by Riles Patrick Murphy
Summary: AU. Azula is mysteriously banished and vanishes for two years. A Fire Nation myth comes to life as the Avatar repeatedly fails to end the war and a new threat to Ozai's rule rises. Tyzula/Azoph/Katoph, Aang/MOC, Maiko and Sukka.
1. AN, Prologue: Azula's Banishment

Author's Note: So, this has been in my head for a while and I've decided to start it. Basically, the original story of Avatar is taken and stretched/slowed down. Instead of happening over a span of roughly two years, the war continues while Aang trains and comes closer to being an adult. Character ages are slightly fudged, but most of the kids are roughly 18 or 19 when this storyline begins. Aang is maybe 16.

So, here's the deal:

After being suddenly and unexpectedly banished, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation disappeared two years ago. Sozin's Comet is less than six months away and Prince Zuko, Iroh, Mai, Ty Lee and the majority of the Gaang are holed up in the Fire Nation, licking their wounds after another unsuccessful attempt to infiltrate the Fire Nation capital.

Mai defected from following Azula after a run-in with Zuko made her realize she'd rather be at his side. Ty Lee, after Azula's mysterious disappearance, found Mai and is working towards peace because she wants things to calm down, rather than out of some political dedication. Zuko, Mai and the Gaang wonder at times what would happen with Ty Lee if Azula were to resurface; her true loyalties are unknown.

Aang, Katara, Sokka and Suki's troop of Kyoshi Warriors are dealing with their own losses, as Toph abandoned them to do things her own way over a year ago. Toph leaving is steeped in less mystery than Azula's absence from the war, but her reasons were fuzzy and have something to do with Katara.

I plan on a good deal of romance. Maiko is established as is Sukka. Aang and Katara's childhood "romance" faded over time and the two have remained close, especially after Toph leaves. Tyzula and Katoph are planned, as is light Aang/MOC. Since pretty much everyone is conveniently an adult, blood, violence and sex are in works.

Please forgive me, but I haven't seen much of the later seasons. I know enough to say that the Boiling Rock incident with Azula, Mai and Ty Lee and beyond are void or will be reworked.

The point of this storyline is a Fire Nation myth I concocted: the Nation-less. It will be explained more in-story, but the gist is that it was once prophesized that a time would come when the Fire Nation would be ruled by a corrupt leader and the true Fire Lord would risk treason to form an alliance with members of the other nations to bring him or her down for the good of the Fire Nation and the world.

I've never written such an epically AU story before, so please bear with me. Please know that I chose to list this story with Azula and Toph as the main characters because they are the most important characters in terms of plot. I do plan on writing an Azula/Toph fic, because I like a challenge, but this isn't it.

Enough of my rambling – let's get into the story, shall we?

**Prologue**

Standing in the throne room, waiting for a meeting with her father, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation took a minute to collect her thoughts. Surely Ozai would not be pleased that she was questioning his orders, but Azula hoped he would consider her input as he had before. The fact that this particular set of orders were assigned to her should, she prayed, be irrelevant to the fact that she intended to push her father in a different direction.

Increasingly over the past year, Ozai had allowed Azula more leverage as the Fire Nation's victory loomed closer. After the fall of Ba Sing Se, Azula had been given the honorary title of Captain to commemorate her victory. Since then, Ozai had made a habit of asking her advice before making a large decision. He didn't always agree with her opinions, but he made a show of listening.

Perhaps, Azula reasoned now, he was recognizing his mortality. Ozai was not the first Fire Lord to wage the Hundred Years War and he may not be the last. The many power hungry generals and nobles in the Fire Nation, the Colonies and throughout the war-torn world needed to understand that Azula was next in line. Perhaps it was just a ploy to seem weaker than he was, should anyone be stupid enough to challenge him. Not that anyone could win. No one but Azula stood a chance against the Fire Lord in combat.

"Daughter. I was told you wanted to discuss your orders with me. Is something the matter?" Ozai's tone was deceptively kind as he entered the throne room.

Azula knew better by now and kept her guard up. Face neutral, she bowed to her father and stood at attention as he settled himself into the orate throne at the head of the room. "I will be short father. I know your time is precious. I have very little issue with the orders you gave me."

Ozai frowned. "'Very little'?"

"I do not understand why you have classed Ty Lee as a threat. She can be a challenging opponent, but her loyalty to me is unquestionable." Azula knew she was treading a line, admitting Ty Lee's loyalty was to her personally and not her father or the Fire Nation, but it was the truth. The acrobat didn't care much for the war, she'd made that clear to her princess in private, but whatever Azula asked her to do, she would.

"Precisely, Azula. She is loyal to you. Why is that?" Ozai leaned on arm on his throne, watching his daughter carefully.

"I'm not sure what you mean, father. Ty Lee has been my friend since childhood and I—"

"Your friend, yes. She cares about you." Ozai held back a sneer.

Azula hesitated, afraid she knew where her father's line of reasoning would end. "Yes, she does."

"And you, Azula? Do you care about her?"

Again, Azula hesitated. "Yes, to an extent, I suppose." She hoped her aloofness seemed natural.

"And you do not understand that that makes her a threat to us?"

Within the last year, Azula had noticed Ozai increasingly referred to them as a unit. She wondered sometimes if he didn't see her as a person but merely an extension of himself.

"No, father. I am confident you will make it clear, though." Azula lowered her eyes, unable to meet Ozai's gaze any longer.

"Love is a powerful motion, my daughter. It makes people, even strong, intelligent people, do stupid things. Foolish things. We cannot have that kind of weakness around if we are to end this war and take our place as the rightful rulers of the world." Ozai leaned back in his seat, taking a perverse pleasure in watching Azula's resignation.

"Then let me send her away, father. I agree my judgment needs no distractions, of course, but I do not see the need to kill her." Azula looked up again, knowing she was showing her hand.

"No. The very fact that you do not want to end her life proves it is a necessary move." Ozai stood and walked towards Azula. "You will kill your brother, your uncle, your friend Mai and your… friend Ty Lee."

The suggestive way that her father said that Ty Lee was her friend did not escape Azula's notice.

"They are traitors, other than Ty Lee, who is trouble waiting to happen. They are threats to our future and threats must be dealt with. Do you understand me, daughter?" Ozai stopped a few feet from Azula and waited for her reply.

Azula kept her breathing and voice even, but inside something was breaking. "Yes, father." Bowing again, Azula turned and left the throne room. Her mind spun with possibilities. There was a time when questioning her father, let alone considering disobeying him, would never have crossed Azula's mind. Things had changed, now. She could bring Ty Lee with her as she tracked town her traitor relatives and Mai. That was easy enough to decide. Once the traitors had been dealt with, she could conveniently lose track of Ty Lee. Ozai knew the acrobat's skill at disabling her opponents, so it wouldn't be too farfetched that she would best Azula in combat.

That, however, would only lend evidence to the idea that Ty Lee was a threat to the war and to the Fire Nation and it would make her a traitor. She would be hunted. Another option was to carry out the majority of her mission and then go on the run herself, with Ty Lee. Azula stopped walking and considered this for a moment. Would it be so bad, she wondered, to live somewhere in the Earth Kingdom with Ty Lee and let the war continue without them? She would never be Fire Lord that way, but at least Ty Lee would be safe.

There was, of course, the fact to consider that no matter what her father insinuated, Azula and Ty Lee were not lovers. Azula had known for years how she felt for her bubbly friend and despite some encouraging moments of awkward closeness, nothing concrete had happened since Azula had recruited Ty Lee to hunt her brother and the Avatar more than two years ago. After Mai ran off to be with Zuzu the remaining twosome had become even closer and Azula often wondered if Ty Lee was just waiting for to make the first move, but she didn't know for sure. Running off to the Earth Kingdom with Ty Lee because she was in love with the acrobat and couldn't bring herself to seriously hurt the other girl was a flawed plan if Azula didn't have the guts to tell her how she felt.

Shaking her head, disgusted with herself and the weakness and indecision she felt, Azula resumed walking to her room. The next several days were spent in contemplation as preparations for her departure went on around the palace. Ozai seemed to believe that Azula was going to follow his orders and left her alone in the days leading up to her mission. In that time, the princess came to understand that the only way Ty Lee would not be in danger was if Azula refused to kill her and ensured her protection. That meant directly disobeying her father, something Azula was loathe to do, even if she felt he was wrong.

Reaching Ty Lee's room the morning they were supposed to leave on Azula's mission, the details of which she had not disclosed to the acrobat, Azula stopped. Knocking softly, she ran through in her head what she would say.

The door opened to reveal the pink-clad young woman. Ty lee beamed at seeing her friend and ushered her into the room. "What's up, 'Zula?"

Face somber, Azula waited until the door was closed to speak. "I need your help, Ty."

Ty Lee frowned, wondering what her princess could possibly need so badly that she admitted it aloud. "Okay. What can I do?"

"I need you to leave the palace as soon as possible and catch a boat to the Earth Kingdom. Zuko and his… allies are there somewhere and my mission is to hunt them."

"Again?"

Azula offered Ty Lee a rare smile. "Yes, again. I want you to arrive separately and try and find them. Befriend them. Get Mai on our side if you can. I'll meet up with you after a while and we'll work them from the inside and the outside." Azula knew this was something she would have done if she were planning to carry out her mission, so it seemed a reasonable request.

Ty Lee sat on her bed, still frowning. "I don't know, Azula. Mai is our friend. I don't know if I want to lie to her."

Azula grit her teeth for a moment. "Mai left. With any luck you can convince her to come back and be our friend again. Wouldn't you like that?" The princess hated playing on her friend's emotions, but she needed Ty Lee out of the palace immediately.

"Of course!" Ty Lee perked up at this and smiled. "Why can't I travel with you to the Earth Kingdom though?"

"If someone sees us travelling together, Zuko won't believe you're not working with me." This was true enough.

"Makes sense. Okay." Standing from the bed, Ty Lee approached Azula and put her hand on the prodigy's arm. "When will I see you again?"

This almost made Azula visibly wince. She let herself look away, unable to see Ty Lee's face and lie. "Soon. A few weeks at most."

Ty Lee raised her other hand a turned Azula's face to hers. They stood there for a moment, silent. Azula wanted to sink into those grey eyes, but she knew time was short. Pulling Ty Lee abruptly into a hug, she sighed. A surprised Ty Lee hugged back, but said nothing.

"I need to speak to my father before I leave. Safe travels, Ty." Azula hesitated and placed a light kiss on the acrobat's forehead. Ty Lee blushed and hugged Azula again.

"Thanks. I'll miss you, 'Zula." Ty Lee looked up at Azula, whose face was once more stoic and unreadable.

Azula stepped back, not knowing when she's be able to hold Ty Lee again, if ever. "I'll miss you, too." Bowing slightly, Azula exited the room and headed for her father. She arrived at the throne room and spoke quickly with one of the guards.

After a few minutes, she was able to get an audience with the Fire Lord, who looked impatiently at her.

"Yes, Azula?" Ozai sat at his throne and looked irritable.

"I came to apologize, father." Azula stood still, wishing the few guards in the room were not present for this.

"Apologize?" Ozai asked in surprise.

"For the other day. When we spoke about my orders…"

"Yes, yes. It's fine, Azula. I understand your reservations, but it has to be done."

"No. You misunderstand me."

Ozai narrowed his eyes at being interrupted and at Azula's words.

Azula swallowed and continued. "I didn't make myself clear before. I can't do it. What you have asked of me, I can't."

Ozai stood, keeping a tight rein on his anger. Never in a thousand suns had he thought his daughter would do this.

"Can't? Or won't? You are not able or you are not willing?"

Azula lifted her chin and looked Ozai in the eye. "I am not willing."

"You disobey me then? You commit treason and throw away all you have achieved, for that girl?" Ozai's hands shook now.

"Yes." It was the last word Azula spoke as crowned princess of the Fire Nation.

Ozai's hand lit with flames and the guards on either side of the room looked at each other nervously. Azula refused to move, knowing that she was destroying a lifetime of training, discipline and work.

"You are a fool, Azula. How dare you betray me! You will fight for your life," Ozai shot a stream of fire at his daughter, who jumped aside, visibly surprised. "And the life of your precious friend."

Grateful she'd thought to have Ty Lee leave before she spoke with Ozai, Azula fell into a fighting stance. She hadn't anticipated a fight, but had little choice now. The throne room guards kept silent and still, knowing a false move would bring the Fire Lord's wrath and flames on them.

Ozai screamed and threw himself forward, punching at Azula with flames and lightening. The younger fire bender moved out of his way, much faster than her father, but did not return fire. "You are worse than your brother. At least when he spoke out it was with the good of our nation in mind. He was misguided and he paid the price for his mistakes, but you. You will die for yours."

The impromptu Agni Kai continued for nearly an hour. In that time, Azula did not summon a single flame. She understood now, as she fought to avoid her father's deadly strikes, why Zuko had not defended himself years ago. Ozai may be trying to kill her, but how does a child attack her father? Ozai caught Azula suddenly and squeezed her arms. Azula screamed and tried to kick him away, but by the time she could, her arms felt raw under her armor and she knew the majority of her arms would be scarred badly. By the time Ozai tired himself out, Azula's attempts at evasion secured her life, but her arms, torso and legs were badly burned. She wished now for the simple, contained scar Zuko sported. Roughly a third of Azula's body would be scarred after that fight.

"Get out of my sight." Ozai's voice sounded was raw as Azula's body felt. "Go! You are banished. You are nothing. You are not even worth killing, but your precious Ty Lee is. Guards!" Ozai turned from Azula then and the guards jumped, thinking they had been forgotten.

"No." Azula spoke softly, but the men heard her. "You will not harm her, father."

Ozai looked over at Azula, shaking with exhaustion from having tried to desperately to kill his remaining heir. Before he had a chance to sneer or yell, Azula launched forward and struck her father once, using a move that Ty Lee had taught her. It was useless act, since Ty Lee was probably on a boat by now, but Azula found she couldn't help it. The thought of palace guards reaching Ty Lee before the acrobat was safety away was too much for the tired, burned and now banished princess could handle. Realizing immediately what she had done, Azula stared for a moment at her immobilized father. Ozai was equally dumbstruck. Despite the fact that he'd just spent a good deal of time trying to kill her, he had a hard time with the fact that Azula had struck him.

Knowing she'd just sealed her fate by committing high treason, Azula dashed past her father before the guards could react. As she raced through the halls of the palace, she heard her father yelling and the footsteps of men following her. Grabbing a bag of clothes and supplies from her room, the exiled princess ran out of the palace as quickly as her injuries would allow as word began to spread of her actions and their irreversible consequences. Pulling her hair from its recognizable top knot, she skidded into an alley on the streets of the capital and quickly shed her armor. The only way she could survive now was to be undetectable. The scorched clothes she wore underneath her armor were plain and would get her to safety.

Walking as calmly as she could, the princess asked around the docks for a few minutes until she was satisfied that her pink-wearing friend had indeed boarded a boat to the Earth Kingdom a few minutes before. Satisfied with that for the moment, Azula watched the horizon sadly, wondering where she would go now and what she would do. Everything she was, had been, was now lost and her entire body hurt. She boarded the next boat for the Earth Kingdom and avoided the guards that were beginning to search the crowded docks. They didn't recognize her, thankfully, but Azula kept on her guard. As the ship departed from the harbor, Azula looked back at the palace in the distance, wondering how long it would take for news of her banishment to reach Zuko and the Avatar. She hoped Ozai would keep the specifics of her treason quiet. She didn't want Ty Lee to find out that way. Or any way, for now.


	2. Chapter 1: Gaining an Ally

Author's Note: More to come soon. Enjoy.

Chapter 1

After three days of travel through the Earth Kingdom, Azula stopped to rest in a small town. She was tired from walking in the sun and from the still painful burns covering her body. Looking around, Azula spotted a noodle stand, which she approached at a slow pace. The townspeople she had encountered so far had regarded her warily. The red clothing she still wore identified her as a Fire Nation citizen, but the banished princess couldn't bring herself to trade them for green. After her fight with Ozai, she felt lost and torn, but her national pride remained strong. The feelings about the war were in flux. On one hand, she didn't want to blow things out of proportion. Just because her father was wrong about Ty Lee didn't mean he was wrong about everything.

As she bought a bowl of noodles and sat away from the other customers, eating in silent contemplation. On the other hand, Azula thought, if Ozai was wrong about Ty Lee, what else was he wrong about? Sighing, the fire bender wondered what to do now. She needed direction, a goal to focus on. She'd toyed with the idea of tracking her brother and the Avatar down, but being banished didn't mean her past acts were erased. They would regard her as an enemy and Azula wasn't quite sure what she would do if she were to find them. She also didn't want to face Ty Lee until she knew what to say to the acrobat.

"I'm madly in love with you and I committed treason to keep you safe, but I still want to be Fire Lord someday and rule the world. That would go over well," rolling her eyes, Azula ceased muttering to herself and collected her bag to resume walking. Every face around her was unfamiliar and a deep sadness was growing in Azula's chest. Every face she could possibly see now was going to be unfamiliar and potentially unfriendly. She had no allies.

Azula stopped at that. Ozai had been more than her ally. He had been her mentor, her king. Without him, she was no better than Zuko. Zuko, who had also been banished for defying their father. In fact, Azula thought, Ozai had banished their entire family, other than himself. This sparked something in Azula's mind. One difference between her and Zuko was that before her banishment, she'd been privy to a wide array of information, including the location of the island Ursa had been sent to. Turning on her heel, Azula began to walk west, back towards the coast. She'd wasted a few days time, but it wasn't like she had a deadline to meet. The banished princess had no idea how her mother would react to seeing her, but one benefit of coming to terms with her feelings for Ty Lee was recognizing that she couldn't be such a monster if she was so willing to but the acrobat's wellbeing before everything else.

This belief sustained Azula through the next two weeks as she traveled southwest of the Fire Nation to the bustling Colony city of Jukai. At least here her clothes were not out of place. The banished fire bender knew better than to ask around for her mother. Her father had told her once that part of Ursa's banishment required she live as a peasant. Azula said a quick prayer to Agni and simply wandered the town, conserving her money and passing the time by watching a group of street performers that frequented the city's main square.

After five days, she caught a break. As the afternoon wore on and shops began to close for the day, she saw a woman who reminded her strongly of her mother talking with one of the performers. The young man said something and the woman laughed. This confirmed for Azula that she was looking at the banished Fire Lady. Of all her memories of childhood, Azula would never forget the sound of her mother's laughter. Casually approaching the pair, Azula waited patiently until the young man waved at the woman and went to rejoin the other performers.

"Excuse me," Azula began.

The older woman turned and started. "Oh my. I'm sorry, dear, you look like…" The woman shook her head.

"Like your daughter, all grown up?" Azula smiled crookedly, her heart pounding in her chest. She never thought she'd see her mother again.

Ursa stared for a moment and then began to blink away tears. "Azula?"

The fire bender nodded and immediately found herself enveloped in a hug. Hesitating only a few seconds, she embraced her mother tightly.

"I can't believe it. What are you doing here?" Ursa pulled back and held Azula at arms length, taking in the sight of her grown daughter.

Azula frowned. "I… need your help. Can we talk somewhere more private?"

Ursa nodded and led Azula to a small tea shop down the street. Azula smiled at the thought of another one of her relatives being a tea-freak. Once inside, Ursa motioned for Azula to sit and took out a teapot. "So, what can I help my only daughter with?"

Azula sighed. "Father banished me."

The teabag in Ursa's hand fell to the counter. She turned and gaped at Azula. "What? Why? Why would he banish you?"

"I defied him," Azula said simply, eyes lowered.

"But, you were always…"

"His perfect child?" Azula asked bitterly.

"Well, yes." Ursa shakily resumed making their tea.

"I… I suppose I should explain. Do you remember my friend Ty Lee, from the Academy?" Azula looked over at her mother.

Ursa paused for a moment and nodded. "Yes, is she still so happy-go-lucky?"

Azula smiled. "Yes."

"She was a cute little girl."

"She's beautiful now." Azula allowed time for this comment to sink in.

Ursa left the tea to steep and sat opposite her daughter. "So you discovered love after all."

Azula nodded. "Ty Lee doesn't know how I feel. I," Azula paused, blushing, "never found the words to tell her. I sent her to Earth Kingdom, to keep her safe. Father, he saw my love for her as a weakness, of course. He ordered me to kill her so that my judgment would be unclouded."

Ursa reached out and gripped Azula's hand. "And you couldn't do it."

Pushing the sleeves of her shirt up, Azula revealed some of her new scars. "Father was not pleased."

The former Fire Lady wanted to be surprised at her husband's violence, but merely nodded and fetched their tea. "What can I do to help you, Azula?"

"Let me stay with you until I figure out what to do next." Azula accepted a cup of tea from her mother with a nod of thanks.

"Of course, stay as long as you like."

"I don't know what to think anymore, mother. I want to still believe in the war, in what father raised me to think, but if he could be so wrong about Ty Lee, if he could attack me… It's put a few things in perspective." Azula shook her head.

"Well, you should take your time figuring things out, Azula. I've wanted to keep the shop open longer for the other merchants and the performers to stop in at night. If you work here with me, I should be able to and you can take all the time you need to put yourself in order." Ursa sipped her tea, regarding her daughter thoughtfully.

Azula nodded slowly. "Thank you, mother."

The two banished royals smiled at one another and Azula felt muscles relax more than that they had since she'd left the Fire Nation capital. As they finished their tea, Ursa stood and gave Azula a quick tour of the shop and the small home above it.

The next several weeks pasted slowly for Azula. Her days were filled with learning to apply her diplomatic skills to serving customers and her nights were full of dreams. Dreams that alternately featured deadly flames and loving gray eyes. News of the war filtered into Jukai slowly. Ursa and Azula exchanged looks when one customer recounted what he had heard from a relative in the capital. Ozai was stepping up his efforts to capture and kill the Avatar and all enemies of the Fire Nation. He had authorized deadly force for the smallest of infractions throughout the army and the Colonies and had made up lies about Azula's betrayal, claiming she had tried to usurp his throne. For that part, Azula was grateful.

One day, as Azula returned from fetching fresh tea ingredients for her mother's shop, one of the street performers approached her. The same young man, dressed in the deep reds and browns of the Colonies, who Azula had first seen speaking with her mother waved to her as she neared him. His dark skin suggested some Water Tribe blood, though Azula couldn't be sure.

"Hey, Aluza, I have a question for you." The young man smiled at her charmingly.

Azula nodded at him, a small part of her wishing she didn't have to lie about her name to the street performers and other customers. "What's up, Harui?"

"One of the girls said she saw your fire bending the other day. Is that true?" Harui asked lightly.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Azula shifted the bag of supplies on her shoulder.

"Great! We're going to be doing a private show for some of the city leaders at the end of next week and we need a fire bender to help us out. Would you be interested?"

The banished princess considered this. The life she was beginning to build in Jukai was not a permanent solution, but it wouldn't hurt anything to help out the performers. Azula nodded. "Sure. What do I need to do?"

Harui pumped a fist in the air. "I knew you'd say 'yes.' Okay, so we're acting out the myth of the Nation-less for the leaders of the city who are at least skeptical of the Fire Lord. We have Zan playing Ozai, but we need another fire bender to play the part of the 'true Fire Lord' the myth describes. Think you're up to it, Aluza?"

Azula kept her face blank, but her mind was racing. She nodded quickly, "I'd love to. Just stop by later and we can talk over the specifics of what I'll need to do. I need to get back," motioning to the bag of tea leaves, Azula stepped past Harui, who waved and headed back triumphantly to the other performers. Once inside the shop, Azula carefully put away the supplied she'd been sent out for and waited for a moment to take her mother aside.

Before Ozai had pulled her out of the Academy to privately train her, Azula had been an avid student of Fire Nation history and myths. The myth of the Nation-less spoke of a time when the Fire Nation was under corrupt and doomed rule and of a 'true Fire Lord' who would rise form the shadows and, with help from the other nations, claim the throne and restore the Fire Nation to its highest glory. Most often, the myth involved a vast war and the 'true Fire Lord' ushered in an era of peace. Azula considered this and the fact that the myth also, notably, held that the corrupt Fire Lord would be too powerful for even the Avatar to defeat. Ozai certainly seemed to fit that description.

"Azula?" Ursa spoke softly, noticing her daughter's distracted state. "Are you okay?"

The banished fire bender prodigy nodded slowly. "Yes. I think I'm starting to figure out what I want to do with my life, mother. I need a few days to fully collect my thoughts, but I think we need to talk soon." Moving back to their waiting customers, Azula smiled softly and considered the possibilities before her.


	3. Chapter 2: A New Purpose

Author's Note: Not entirely pleased with this one, but we'll see what you guys think. The next chapter will skip ahead to the "current" time of the story. I hope you have enjoyed the intro chapters and will continue to read, favorite and review. I really appreciate the feedback. Also, I have decided to use the word "queer" instead of "gay" or "lesbian" or even "homosexual," since this is a foreign world and each word has a unique history of how it came into use in our world. I apologize in advance to anyone offended by the word "queer," but something about it just fits for me with this story. I hope this will not negatively impact anyone's reading experience.

Right, one last thing, I changed Harui's name to Rahui to avoid confusion with the cannon character Haru.

Chapter 2

The morning after her performance with Rahui and the others, Azula woke just before sunrise. It had been a late night with several of the city officials requesting an encore performance of her fire bending skill. It was quickly becoming a habit for the banished princess to conceal her signature blue flames, something she was relieved she'd thought to do since the city didn't allow for much privacy and there was a bounty on her head. Being able to change the color of her flames was a simply parlor trick as far as she was concerned, but using the colors to show her character's emotions had added to the show and impressed many of the performers. Especially Rahui.

Dressing for her morning training, Azula heard her mother downstairs opening the shop for the early rush. Smiling a bit, she wondered how Ursa had adjusted to being a peasant. Or, more accurately, a merchant. As much as Azula was aware that keeping a low profile was key at this stage and despite the fact that she was enjoying her time in Jukai, she knew that living this way was not for her. Though she questioned now the sense of entitlement she'd been raised with, something in her still said that she was destined for more. Walking calmed to the outskirts of town, the banished princess considered how much her life had changed in such a short period. The anger that had fueled her for so long, that had been slowly ebbing as her love for Ty Lee grew, had abandoned her in the wake of her father's attack on her. It wasn't that she was numb, exactly, just void of the limited range of emotion she normally felt.

Easing into her first form, she felt a set of eyes on her that were increasingly familiar. "Good morning, Rahui," she said, not visibly shifting focus from her practice.

The handsome man, whom Azula had recently discovered had a rather contagious sense of humor, chuckled and approached her. Rahui settled in next to her, mimicking her movements. "Good morning, fire bender. I have something to discuss with you."

Azula looked at him, curious. "Oh?"

In sync, the two young fire nation citizens moved into a more complicated form fluidly.

"I like to think you and I have become friends. And friends share things with each other." Rahui avoided Azula's gaze.

"Like what?"

Rahui stopped and stood upright. "Like our pasts and where we plan to go in the future."

The banished princess tensed.

"I know who you are?"

Azula looked at the young man with narrowed eyes, uneasy now. "And who is that?"

"Princess Azula. I'm surprised more people haven't realized who you are."

Looking away, Azula nodded. "So am I, but I am grateful."

"Why were you banished? Did you really try to challenge Lord Ozai?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Rahui smiled charmingly, "Because I'm your friend. And a water bender, by the way. My family has lived in the Colonies since the beginning of the war and mixed with the Southern Water Tribe. I'm the first bender to be born to my family and it's given me a unique sense of the need for peace. While I am a water bender," Rahui motioned to his red and brown clothing, "I am a born Fire Nation citizen and that's where my loyalties lie. I think this war is foolish and since you participated in our little production, I dare to hope you've considered the same thought."

"I have…" Azula hesitated, "mixed feelings."

Rahui nodded. "That's understandable."

"So you're a water bender?" Azula looked at him with interest. She'd never been friends with a water bender.

Rahui nodded again and summoned water from a nearby puddle left over from the night's rain.

"And you believe in the myth of the Nationless."

"Yes," Rahui stepped forward and placed a hand on Azula's shoulder. "And I believe in you. We haven't known each other long, but I can't shake the feeling that our meeting was not one of chance but one of destiny."

Azula snorted. "Destiny?"

Rahui smiled crookedly. "I know, it's a strong word, but it fits." He shrugged.

Gently removing his hand from her shoulder, Azula said, "I have been thinking a lot about our play. About where to go from here." She looked away. "I was banished because I challenged my father, but not for control of the Fire Nation. He ordered me to kill my uncle, General Iroh, my brother Zuko, his lover –and my former friend–an assassin named Mai… and Ty Lee, my other companion." Azula kept her voice from breaking, but the knowledge that her emotions were still so close to the surface gave her pause.

"What did you do?" Rahui asked, his voice even.

"I had no issue with killing traitors, that is the nature of war, but Ty Lee's only crime was being my childhood friend… and, well, the woman I've fallen in love with." Azula sighed.

"You're queer?" Rahui's eyes widened.

"Yes."

"Me, too! What a trip! Two queers organizing the Nationless for the ultimate war." Rahui laughed, clutching his stomach and doubling over.

The banished princess blinked a few times, absorbing that his handsome man preferred other handsome men. After a moment she smiled and allowed herself to laugh a bit.

"So, what happened with your father?"

"I challenged his orders, refused to harm Ty Lee, and he attacked me. I didn't defend myself at first, but he insulted Ty and I… I lost my temper. I hit him and now my life is forfeit. Just like Zuko's." Azula looked away.

Rahui nodded, but fidgeted after only a few seconds.

"What do you think of taking our show on the road?" Rahui asked, holding back a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"About half of our acting troupe is benders. Fire and earth. They are all sick of the war and the majority of them are in the same boat as me – whether blessed with bending a particular element or not, we're Fire Nation through and through and we think Ozai and this war are wrong for our nation." Rahui's smile slipped as he spoke, his face becoming more serious.

Azula took a minute to think, wishing – not for the first time – that she had Ty Lee or even Mai to consult with. "I… I think that's a wonderful idea. I don't know where I stand on the war now, but the idea of getting my father off the throne works for me. I'd like time to convince my mother to come with us, though."

"Lady Ursa, you mean. Or, Mena, as she has been known here."

"Yes." Azula nodded and Rahui took this as his cue to leave. He saluted Azula with a grin and started back towards the city.

The banished princess watched him go and fought to clear her mind. For the next hour she trained and as she unleashed her blue flames for the first time since leaving the capital, Azula felt like she had a purpose again. The idea of challenging her father was insane, but so was falling in love and so was refusing her father's orders and Azula had already proven she could do those things. What was one more impossible task?


	4. Chapter 3: On the Road

Author's Note: And we're in the present time! Next chapter, the Nationless ready for a fight. And, perhaps, a run-in with the past. We'll see. Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites everyone.

Chapter 3

Two years passed rapidly for Azula. After a few days of badgering from Rahui, Azula and the other performers – who now counted the banished princess among their numbers – Lady Ursa shed her identity as Mena the tea merchant and packed for a journey through the Earth Kingdom and Northern Fire Colonies that would, perhaps, end in peace. More likely, Azula knew, it would end in defeat and death, but the idea of challenging her father again kept her going. As did her love for Ty Lee, who was out there somewhere, safe, she hoped.

Knowing nothing of Azula's banishment until at least a month after her princess boarded a boat for the Earth Kingdom and then the Colonies, Ty Lee had followed her directive and found Mai, Zuko, Iroh, the Avatar and his companions. At first refusing to believe that Azula had simply disappeared, Ty Lee continued to charm her way into the Avatar's circle and befriended Katara in particular. She was the only one, other than Toph and Katara, who knew the truth behind why after nearly a year of Ty Lee travelling with them, Toph packed up and left with barely a word.

To Aang and the others, Toph simply said that what they were doing was too little and too slow and that she'd find another way to fight the war. The truth, as the acrobat and water bender knew, was that Toph had gotten the courage to bring the subtle flirting between her and Katara to a boiling point, as it were. Citing Aang's affection for her as reason enough to turn down the rich earth bender, Katara had steadfastly refused to admit even her attraction to Toph, sending the younger girl over an edge she seemed unwilling to recover from.

Rahui again considered it destiny that the strongest earth bender in the world, one of the few metal benders ever, had stumbled across their roving band of performers in a coastal Earth Kingdom village nearly a month after Toph left her friends and allies behind in favor of nursing her broken heart alone. In the remaining year between the present, Toph and Azula had grown to be close friends and lovers. Both knew it to be a relationship of convenience while neither could have the woman each truly desired, but convenient it was.

To Azula's annoyance and Toph's amusement, Rahui had even gone so far as to suggest that _three_ queers leading the Nationless to battle was deserving of some sort of motto or battle cry. He, of course, lost that argument. The vagabond Nationless were currently en route to the last known home of a group of renegade Fire Nation soldiers known for standing against Ozai. Azula was hesitant, fearing they would not trust her leadership, but Rahui and Toph insisted that they were a team and a package deal – they would stand together or die together. Outvoted, the banished fire bender went along silently and with Ursa as comfort, Azula continued to patch together a new life.

One bright morning Rahui approached the tent that Azula and Toph shared with a wide smile on his face. He'd had a rather good night, as one of their newer recruits had been quite easy to talk into bed. With this on his mind, he wasn't exactly paying attention when he poked his head into the girl's tent.

"Good morning la —Ah! My eyes, my eyes!" Rahui stumbled out of the tent and continued to shout, much to the annoyance of two less-than-clothed women. Calming down, he stood outside the tent, eyes closed unnecessarily. "I, uh, wanted to see if I could train with you two this morning."

Inside the tent, Azula lay half over Toph, who looked at her questioning. The fire bender responded, "Sure. Just give us a few minutes to… wake up."

"Yep. Okay. No problem." Covering his eyes comically, Rahui walked away.

Watching his dim shadow retreat, Azula turned to face Toph again, smiling at her blind companion. "You think after doing that a few times, he'd learn to wait until we're up and about."

The younger woman snorted softly. "He's a moron."

"Agreed." Azula nuzzled Toph's cheek. She kissed the earth bender softly and sat up. "I suppose we should get up though."

Trailing a hand down Azula's back, Toph nodded. "I suppose."

Smirking, Azula shook her head and the two benders quick set about dressing for the day.

Exiting the tent, Toph said, "I hope we find Jeong Jeong this time. I'm tired of chasing his soldiers around."

"We should get them. Word is they've only been in the town a few days." Azula stretched, rolling her shoulders as she followed Toph out of their tent and towards the open patch of dirt used by their benders for training. Several earth and fire benders were already assembled.

Unaccustomed to t raining in large groups, Azula and Toph had established a routine of training a bit away from the others, though not too far as to be considered rude. For once in her life, Azula cared about offending the people around her simply because she liked them.

Rahui was waiting for them. "You two are going to scar me for life. A queer man does not need to see that much of a woman's body." He faked disgust; at least, Azula thought it was fake.

Toph punched him in the arm, "Shut up, Manwhore."

"Let's get to the part where we train." Azula said shortly, rolling eyes at the pair.

Nodding, Toph moved into her first form, knowing through her earth sight that the water and fire bender were both doing the same. She felt Rahui occasionally mimic her stances as the three trained for well over an hour. The young man had had the idea to see if their benders could adapt a style that utilized moves from the three nations. It was a good idea, Toph reasoned, and she mentally made note to ask Azula about it later.

The trio broke off for breakfast, with Rahui going to find his latest man-toy and Azula and Toph returning to sit near their tent. Their camp's numbers had grown to over thirty people, as they picked up benders and non-benders alike who were sympathetic to their cause. So far, Toph was the only person travelling with them who was not a Fire Nation citizen and though they had never spoken of it, both Rahui and Azula wanted to keep it that way. The idea of the Nationless was to harness the power of all the nations – the myths said nothing of using other nation's people to fight what both young benders thought to be a Fire Nation fight. Considering they had fire, water and earth benders already, neither saw a need to bring in outsiders, other than Toph, who was an exception.

Toph and Azula split a small breakfast of nuts and meats, typical camp fare, quietly. Neither girl was very talkative on the whole.

Breaking that silence, Toph asked softly, "What do you think of Rahui's idea to mix bending techniques, Lightning Bug?"

Azula smiled at Toph's nickname for her which she found strangely endearing. "I'm not sure, Bandit. On the one hand, it's dumb because why would we mix them instead of sticking with forms we know are useful and effective. On the other hand, though, if we were able to successfully use a mixed fighting style, we'd have a unique advantage against my father and his guards when we infiltrate the capital." Azula gestured as she spoke, even though she knew Toph could only faintly detect her movements. It was habit.

The two continued to talk quietly for a time, before Rahui approached them again, with a map in hand. "Hey ladies. We ready to move out or what?"

Azula nodded. "Might as well. We should be able to make the town by nightfall."

Standing, Toph stretched and moved to her and Azula's tent, obviously intending to pack up.

"Alright, I'll let the others know." Rahui nodded to Azula, who nodded in return, before walking over to the other performers and spreading the news to break camp.

Azula helped Toph pack their things before the two moved to join Rahui at the head of their line of travelers. The newer recruits that had joined them may be under the impression that Rahui was not to be taken seriously, but having seen him bend, Azula knew better. The young man may have been much more laid back than her, but he was just as much in charge as she was. The banished princess was not used to sharing power, but it was something she was readily adjusting to.

"Any news about the Avatar?" Toph asked Rahui, who was a natural gossip and acted as their go-to source for news.

"Not since the last time you asked, Toph." Rahui rolled his eyes and Azula, who gave him a small smile. Toph had long since told Azula the details of her fight with Katara and subsequent departure from Team Avatar. Despite her refusal to send any of them a letter with her whereabouts, the earth bender constantly sought to make sure she knew where her old friends were.

Toph looked away and remained silent for the rest of their trip. Azula sighed after a time and wished she could do something more for Toph, but replacing Katara in the young woman's heart was not possible and Azula had Ty Lee to think about anyway.


End file.
